Blank registering device



July l5, 1941. w. w. DAVIDSON BLANK REGISTERING DEVICE Filed Sept. 6, v1939 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 MC2/@Wah alecm,

July 15, 1941. w. w. DAvlDsoN BLANK REGISTERING DEVICE Filed Sept. 6, 1959A 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 MMA mW MM.

July 15, 1941. w. w. DAVIDSON BLANK REGISTERING DEVICE 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Sept. 6, 1939 EID/(2mn: W dD de n mw@ Patented July 15, 1941 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE t 2,249,505 t BLANK nEGrs'rsmNG nnvicn William Ward Davidson, Evanston, Ill. Application september s, 1939, serial No. 293,553 1,5 claims. tol. 271-48) The invention relates to the registering of blanks before they are fed to a machine,-such as a printing press.

Conveyor boards are used with printing machines which; in the due course of Abusiness of a printer,'handle blanks of different sizes. l It is a prerequisite with' printing machines that the blanks be brought into perfect registry before being delivered to the Aprinting press,v and,'after being registered, to be deliveredto the printing press in timed relation with the operation ofthe press.

The devices heretofore usedin registering blanks of different'sizes and 'thicknesses require complicated adjustments 'andsettings which take up time whenever the conveyor board isi/being set upto feed a stack of blanks of a different form or size 'than that 'handled previously. Moreover, further adjustments have to be made while the devices are in operation.

Proper registry requires three operations. One

of the operations is to endreg'ister' the blankA with regard to the Vfeed pickup of the printing press. The second operation is registering the blank laterallyso that the blank not only'reaches the press at the proper moment but'alsd enters the press correctly aligned. VThe third operation is the final feeding of the blanks to the press.'

The third operation, the feeding operatio'n,is

done in the presentV invention as part ofthe first operation.v The end registry is accomplished by' providing stops constructed to operate as 'ai unit with the feed mechanism'. The stops temporarily engage the front edge of a blankto adjust it after'which they are removed as part ofthe feeding cycle to release the blank in timed relation` with regard to the operation of the press.

In carrying the blanks from a stack' to the press, a plurality of tapes are generally usedwhich convey the blank against the'registry stops under friction drive engagement with the blank. In the present invention, an improvedv means is provided whereby blanks so moved are side'registered in timed relationship with both the end registry by the stops and thel release Vof ther-stops.

VIt is a further purpose of the invention to provide a side registering means which is simple Yin` construction and easily adjusted that can be usedv with blanks ofv different sizes with1a minimum;

amount of resetting needed torprepare the con-Y veyor board for anygiven run of blanks.`

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved feed movement for a vprintingpress or the like wherein the blank is kept in continuous movement;` until perfect registry is completed and tail the invention will be reference to the'general organization andjgen-v the blank is ready for delivery tothe press. These being among the objects of the present invention, other and further objects will become apparent from the drawings, the vdescription re- `lating thereto and the appended claims.

-In the drawings: l

Fig. 1 is a top plan of tion,

Fig. 2is a longitudinal section taken upon `-averticalv plane centrally through the structure vilmanner, f

Fig. 3y is a view similar tof Fig. 2 showinguieVV construction by which the blank is withdrawn from the conveyor table after registry,

Fig;4 is a transversesection'through the con-` veyor yboard showing structural details of Vthe means by which the side registry of the blank is accomplished;

Fig. 5 is a section taken transverselyofthe-VV conveyor board showing one of the constructions by which the side registering means is adjusted, Fig. -6 is a'diagrammatical representation 0f the cam vand follower controls as'theyl are em` ployed inthe invention/as located in their re-V,

spective positions, andV Y f l Fig. 'lis an analytical View of the cams wherein the followers -are located be better understood. I

Referring now to the drawings in further def er'al operation; second, to the special detailsv and characteristicsof the elements making up the assembly; and'iinally to adetailed description-of the operation' of the invention as'a synchronized.Y

unit. f

As viewed in Fig. 1, blanks are placed uponthe conveyor' table I0 at the left end thereof to be carried by tapes II towardand against stops I2.

In its 'forward movement, each blankV comes close to or into'contact with the side guide i3.V At.

approximately the time -each blank reaches Athe stops jogging mechanism I4 as driven by a cam and follower assembly I5. When the guide I3 reaches the limit of its movement toward the blank, a gripper roller I6 is lowered against a feed roller II to remove the blank from the conveyor board at the right end thereof. l

v a conveyor board'illus.-V trating the preferred 'embodiment of the invenall at one point so 'that the timing and relative action of the cams may' described first` withA I2, the guide `is jogged orv advanced inward-A ly against the adjacent side of the blank by. av

The conveyor board in its general construction, as more particularly described in Patent No. 2,083,296, issued to Nils Trydal, June 8, 1937, comprises two side frame members 20 secured in spaced relation to each other by transverse rods 2|. The tapes II are endless ones as carried by rollers 22 journalled at opposite ends in the side frames 20.

The rollers 22 are driven by a belt and pulley assembly 23 which receives power and speed through a pulley 24 geared to the printing press shaft 25. The rollers 22 are `iournalled in the side frame members 26 parallel to each other but with their axes preferably extending slightly diagonal to the side frames so that the tapes II carry the blanks sideways as Well as forwardly. Proper tension upon the tapesV II is maintained by means of tension pulleys 26 mounted on-the lag rod 21 which is pivoted to the frame members as at 28 upon arms 36. l

'Ihe guide I3 is mounted upon the conveyor at that side thereof toward which the blanks are carried in their lateral movementY by the diagonal pitch of the rollers 22. The guide I3 comprises an upstanding flange 3| serving as a guide rail and a horizontal plate 32 over which one of the tapes II slides when the conveyoris in operation. The Vguide I3 is disposed longitudinally ofthe conveyor board Illas supported by spaced horizontally disposed studs 33 brazed` to the flange 3|. The studs 33 extend through a support bar 34 beyond which they receive knurled nuts 3,5. A

Compression springs 36 are located upon the bolts 33 between the flange 3| and the nuts 35 to urge separation of theguide member I3 from the supporting bar 34 in a way which will yield if excessive force is brought to bear against the guide flange 3|. By adjusting the nuts 35, the angularityv or parallelism between the support member 34 and the guide member I3 can be adjusted to take care of different blank requirements.

The support bar 34 is secured to a block 31 by machine screws 38 `and the block 31 in turn is supported upon a transverse rod`40 and secured thereto by aknurl-headed lock bolt 4|. The transverse rod 40 Ais slidably mounted at both ends relative to the side frame members 20 for reciprocal axial movement in which the guide member I3 isoscillated horizontally to side register theV blanks upon the conveyor table.

'I'he rod 40 may be 'actuated axially from either yend depending lupon the most convenient place to locate the cams and the controls. In the v lewshown'in Fig. 1, I prefer to actuate the guide member I3 with the cam arrangement I4 preferably located upon the' guide side of the table. In mounting the rod for reciprocation, the rod is supported at the side frame member 20 opposite the guide I3 upon a yoke 42 slidably mountedon two parallel pins 43 secured' to theframe member 20 by nuts 44. The pins 43 prevent relative rotation of the rod Manda tension spring 45 urges the rodA 40 to its advanced position in which the guide I3 registersr the edge of the blank. At the guide side of the frame F'ig. 4), the rod 40 extends through anaperture 46 in the frame member 20 beyond which it receives a sleeve 41 inv loose relationship. YBeyond the sleeve the rod 40 receives alovck collar-48 which carries thereon a followerV 50 engaging the cam face 5I upon a thrust rod 52 which is supported for sliding relationship in a transverse groove 53 upon the sleeve 41.

v the cam 58 by a tension spring 6D.

The relationship of the cam and follower is such that the groove 53 in the sleeve as backed by the frame 20 supports the rod 52 so that a, thrust upon the rod 52 forces the cam incline 5I between the follower and the groove 53 like a wedge to move the rod 46 against the action of the spring 45, this movement retracting the guide I3 from its blank registering position. In the embodiment illustrated in Fig. 1, the guide I3 is shown in its advanced position. Y

As shown in Fig. 2, actuation of the thrust rod 52 and the cam 5I is accomplished by means of an arm 54 serving as a third class lever pivoted at one end to the frame 55 of ya press 56. The rod 52 engages the other end of the arm 54 and the arm 54 is driven at a point intermediate its ends where it carries a follower 51 held against The cam 58 is mounted upon the shaft 25 which is driven in direct relationship from a printing press, as already indicated.

The fact that the guide when moved toward' the blank is moved by springs that will yield if there is an unexpected force preventing movement ofthe guide in that direction prevents the guide from beingv subjected to undue strain when it is performing .its registering' action. The

springs land' lconstruction shown are arranged'v withth-is thought in mind.

On the other hand, retractionofthe guide is are removed and the-guide is positively removed from its'registering position after performing its function so that the next blank to be fed against the stopsv I2 is positively cleared of any hindrance from the guide if it would ever be retarded in its action for any reason.

In releasing the blank and feeding it to the press, the stops I2 are mounted upon the same shaft 6I which carries the feed roller I1. In this way, the stops I2 are automaticallyand simultaneously removed from position the moment the feed of the blank is taken over by the feed roller I1.

'Actuation of the feed roller is had through a gear 62 mounted at one end of the shaft 6I. The gear 62 is rotated by a gear segment 63 at one endof an arm 64 which is actuated near its center by a cam 65 driving a follower 66 carried. by the arm 64. The arm 64 is pivoted to the press at 61 at its other rend and whenever the cam 65 releases the follower 66, the shaft 6I is returned to its original position by a torque spring 68 terminally engaging a lug`10 upon the frame member 55 and a lock collar 1I upon the shaft 6I.'

The resting position for the shaft 6I is thatin which the stops I2 are in blankengaging relation. With this arrangement, an overdriving.

In order for the feed roller I1 to act positively upon a blank, the grip roller I6 is formed vas a loose pulley supported upon a yoke 12 carried by a shaft 13 that is actuated as best shown inFig. 3 by means of anarm 14; The arm 14 is rigidly securedat one end to the shaft 13 with a fol-` lower 15 located at the otherend 'driven by a cam 16 mounted on the shaft 25.

In Fig. 6, the cams 58, 65 and 16 are shown as superimposed upon each other in their true relation as mountedupon the shaft 25. vComparison with Figs. 2 and 3 will show that the respective followers of the cams are shown as theyare located relative to -each other inthe invention., Y p 'i In Fig. 7, the cams'and their respective followers are diagrammatically shown as rotated relative to each other so that the axes of thefollowers lie within a single straight radial line 11, sol that a better understanding of the timing'of the cams maybe had.l Y

AIn Athe timing of the cams, a blank is fed to the printing machine each revolution of the shaft 25 and the conveyor board is sov adiusted and operated that a blank is removed from a stack and advanced by the tapes Il to Yreach the stops I2 when the cams and followers are rotated by the shaft 25 to their relative positions indicated by the line 18. 1

Although each cam and follower may beadjusted relative to each other yand the camsand followers to oneanother to take care of different conditions vthat may exist with'different printing presses,'I prefer to relate them as shown in Fig. 7 where within the rst 32 ofrotation of the shaft 25 after the blank reaches thestops l2, the guide camv65 and follower 65 move the guide to the position shown in Fig'. 1. During this time and simultaneously therewith theV gripper cam 16 and vfollower 'l5 lower the gripper roller I6 to gripping position, the gripping relation being culminated immediately after'the guide has advanced to its full register limit. Y

At the vendof the next 25V", actuation of the feed roller cam begins and the guide is retracted. This feeding action continues for the next 82 turn in the shaft 25 tocomplete the positive feeding. operation,Y after which the grip roller cam releases the grip roller to permit the remaining portion of the blank to move freely as drawn by the printing couple during the next 64. At'this time, as far as the conveyor board is concerned, the feeding operation has'been completed and it remains only to return the respective parts to their resting position to, receive the next blank. The gripper roller I6 has already been raised and the guide I3 retracted 'and it remains only to have the feed rollerl'follower 5l make the return upon the' 'declining'VV face 8l) while the shaft 25 completes its revolution.

In this way, I provide an improved registering and blank conveying -means which lends itself well to simple adjustment when used with printing presses that may require different settings. Consequently, although a preferred embodiment of the invention has been shown and described herein, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various and further uses, modifications and changes may be made without departing from the spirit and substance of the invention, the scope of which is commensurate with the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. The method of feeding a blank to a printing machine or the like comprising moving independent blanks successively laterally in one direction and forwardly against end stops and simultaneously moving the blanks laterally in the opposite direction by side engagement at one side only as one continuous movement of the sheet, clamping each blank in its registered position, and positively removing each and releasing the stops simultaneously in timed relation to the action of the printing machine.

2. 'Ihe method of locating a blank of paper in proper registry comprising advancing a blank slightly sideways towards a movable side guide and forwardly against end stops, engaging the blank with the moving side'guide at approximately the time the lblank reaches the stop so that the blank is Aunder Acontinuous movement until end registry and side registry are completed,`thereafter forwarding the blank VVin timed relation to a machine processing the blank.

3. In a device of the class described havingv spaced side frames, a transverse rod slidably supported at one end upon one frame for longitudinal movement and slidably supportedV against relative rotation upon spaced lugs at the other* end, a guide member carried by the rod, means for urging the guide member and rod to advanced position, and cam means for moving the rod in the opposite direction. l f

4. In combinatioma blank-conveying board fory moving blanks one at a time longitudinally and laterally, releasable stop means 'for interrupting longitudinalmovement of each blank at a predetermined point of registry, means for releasing said stop means, and resiliently urged means for opposing and reversing said lateral movement of the vblank in timed relation with said releasing means to locate the blank laterally with respect to the conveyor board. i

5. In combination, means for advancing a blankv forwardly and laterally, `means for locating the forward edge in end-registered position, a guide element at' one side of the blank, a member adjustably supporting and resiliently urging the guidemember to occupy its advanced position for moving the blank 'laterally into sideregistered position, feed release means for removing said edge locating means,'positive pullout means engaging the blank for moving the blank from beside the'g'uide element, and means for retracting the guide element after engagement of said pull-out means preparatory to receiving another blank for registry-purposes.

6. In a device of the class described having spaced side frames, a transverse member slidably mounted upon the frames and supported against relative rotation,fa guidamember carried `by lsaid` transverse -member Aurged normally to advanced position, cam means for' retracting said guide member, a' gripper roller cooperating with a feed roller having vregistering stops, Aand means .for synchronizing the.- 'operation of the gripper and feed roller with lthe'cam means. Y

'7. In combination with a printing press employing a feed mechanism having a predetermined cycle of operation, a conveyer comprising means for advancing a blank forwardly and laterally into engagement with said feed mechanism, a guide member for moving the blank sideways in a direction opposite said lateral movement, and means for synchronizing the operation of said guide with the operation of said feed mechanism.

8. In combination with a printing press employing a feed mechanism having a Vpredetermined cycle of operation, a conveyor comprising means for advancing a blank forwardly and laterally into engagement with said feed mechanism, resiliently urged guide means for moving the blank sideways in a -direction opposite said lateral movement, and means for synchronizing the operation of said guide with the operation of said feed mechanism.

9. In a device of the class described, means for conveying a blank forwardly and laterally, stop means for registering said blank in its forward movement, and resiliently advanced g ide means for registering the blank laterally, a feed roller carrying said stop means, a gripper roller cooperating with the 'feed roller, cam means -for advancing the guidemember, cam means for moving the gripper roller into gripping engagement with the blank, cam means for actuating the feed roller, and meansfor' synchronizing the operation oi said cam means in which the following sequence ofoperation is accomplished; advancing the guide member over a portion of its movement afterv thel blank has engaged the stops, actuating the gripper member to engage the'blank over a portion of its cycle after the blank engages said stops, actuating the feed roller Vto remove the stops and feed the paper to the printing press simultaneously with lthe retraction of the guide member and the gripper member.

l; The method of locating a sheet of paper in proper lregistry comprising moving the sheet forwardly' and slightly sidewise to a predetermined release point inV readiness for feed purposes, permitting the sheet universal planar movement and simultaneously moving the sheet in the opposite direction toregistered position by side engagement at one side, land clamping the sheet in its registered position preparatory to its feed movement into the sheet processing machine.

11. The method of conveying blanks into feed registry for a printing machine or the like comprising separating the blanks one at a time from a stack -nearthe printing machine, moving each blank Vseparately forwardly and slightly side-A wardly inits own plane and towards a movable side guide, continuing the movement of each blank thereafter in a universally supported relationship for any movement in the plane thereof, and moving each blank laterally in the opposite sideward direction as the blank reaches its end registry position, clamping each blank in its registered position, and positively removing each blank in timed relation to the action of the printing'machine. l

12. In a device of the class described having spaced side frames, a transverse rod slidably supported `at one end with regard to one frame forjlongitudinal movement, and slidably supported against relative rotation at the other end by parallel guideways carried bythe other frame, a sheet registering member -carried by the rod, means for urging vthe member and rod in advanced position; and means engaging the rodA to release the rod for movement in said urgeddirection and positively retracting the rod fromits urged position.

v13. In combination with a blank pull-out means for a printing press, means for conveying the blank forwardly at a predetermined speed, removable stop means for squaring and endregistering theblank, retractable guide means for side-registering the blank, means for actuating said pull-outmeans, stop means andV side guide means including elements synchronizedfin timed relationship to advance and hold the' guide inregister and remove the -stop means from the path of the blank While said guide is insaid register position.

14. In combinationY with a blank pull-'out means for a printing press, means for conveying the blank forwardly at a predetermined speed, stop means for squaring and -end-registeringthe blank, guide means for `sideeregistering the blank, means for actuating said pull-out Vmeans,-stop means and guide means, and including elements synchronized to remove the stop means from the path of the blank in timed relationship with the operation of said printin-gpress to advance the guide means to register position at approximately the time the blank is squared by the stop` means and retract the guide lmeans after the removal of the stop means, and' feedfmeans for gripping the blank while held inregisteredposition.

15. In combination withy a blank pull-out means for a printing press, means for conveying the blank forwardly ata predetermined speed, removable stop means for ysquaring and endregistering the blank, retractable' guide ymeans for side-#registering the blank-,means `for actuating said pull-out means, vstop means and'said guide means including elements synchronized in timed relationship to advance'and hold the guide in registerpositionand so constructed and arranged as to enga-ge and `move' the blank into register position in one continuous movement of said forwardly conveying means at the end thereof, land remove the stop means from'the path of the blank while sa'd guide is in said vregister position.

WILLIAM- WARD DAVIDSON. 

